


more than a lifetime

by almostannette



Series: Annette's ATLA fics [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Memories, Reincarnation, aang picks gyatso as his teacher because he remembers his friend from his previous life, this is how it happened sorry i don't make the rules
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:34:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26006551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/almostannette/pseuds/almostannette
Summary: “Interesting,” Temple Elder Kunsang says to Gyatso. “You were friends with the previous Avatar, and now you’re the new Avatar’s teacher. Funny coincidence, isn’t it?”
Relationships: Aang & Monk Gyatso, Avatar Roku & Monk Gyatso
Series: Annette's ATLA fics [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1892011
Comments: 15
Kudos: 81





	more than a lifetime

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Binary_Sunset](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Binary_Sunset/gifts).



> This one-shot is the product of discussing fic ideas with my friend Binary_Sunset - hope you like it! :)

The delegation of monks from the Southern Air Temple is gathered together in a courtyard to choose their new disciples among a group of toddlers, three years old at the very most. The philosophy of the Air Nomads states that a child’s spiritual education should begin as early as possible – even before they start to train their airbending skills.

Such a gathering is commonly held every six months and monks who are not currently the guardian of a young monk are strongly encouraged to take on a new disciple as quickly as possible – this ensures that the wisdom they, as Masters, have acquired throughout their lifetime is continuously being passed on to the next generation of airbenders, forging a chain of learning and teaching that cannot be broken.

It’s already been two years since Gyatso has said goodbye to the last disciple he’s trained, a young monk named Deleg. He’d earned his tattoos – indicating his status as an airbending master – at the age of fifteen and had then taken off with his bison to travel the world, familiarizing himself with the ways of the world beyond the temples. The Air Nomads have traditionally advocated for detachment from the material world and focusing on the spiritual world, but at the same time encourage travel and mingling with people from many different parts of the world. The breadth of experience and insight into the traditions and wisdom of other nations is thought to be beneficial to a young Air Nomad, allowing them to learn tolerance and acceptance.

Gyatso still frequently receives letters from Deleg, who seems to be enjoying his traveling years enormously. The letters always bring a smile to Gyatso’s face, making him reminisce about his own youth and the friends he’s made in various places all over the world. Now, of course, he’s getting on in years, there’s no denying it and the number of his friends has started to dwindle, nature is taking its course…

This is the way of the world, Gyatso thinks, as he pets his bison Dawa. The old has to make way for the new, allowing for a constant cycle of rebirth and reinvention. This is the way of the world.

“Old friend, you think it’ll just be the two of us, going back to the Southern Air Temple?” he asks Dawa.

Dawa answers with a low, content rumble, suggesting that either option would be fine for her.

“Yes, I thought so, too,” Gyatso says quietly, smiling. “But maybe, this time… I still have enough energy left to train another pupil before I give myself completely to the spiritual.”

The truth is, Gyatso had attended four previous ceremonies, but he had found all the prospective students lacking in a way he could never quite justify to the Temple Elders. It wasn’t that he didn’t see potential in them, it wasn’t that he didn’t think he would do a good job of raising them and training them in the art of bending and in the way of life of the Air Nomads. There was just something… he didn’t feel a connection to any of the prospective students. It didn’t feel right, and something inside told him to wait. Gyatso has spent enough years meditating, training his mind and spirit in the lofty heights of the Southern Air Temple to know he should listen to this inner voice.

The right student for him will arrive. Eventually.

Until then, the only thing Gyatso can do is hone his skills, so he can be the best possible teacher when his student arrives.

* * *

Two more ceremonies come and go and result in Gyatso leaving empty-handed and alone, on Dawa’s back. The Temple Elders are starting to get upset, but Gyatso knows he hasn’t found the right student yet.

And so, he continues to wait, meditating every day on who his new student might be.

* * *

The selection ceremony is being held at the Eastern Air Temple in early spring. Naturally, Gyatso participates. The children are gathered in a courtyard and it is customary to simply observe them in silence for a period of about twenty minutes. After seeing how the children interact with each other, a prospective teacher will introduce themselves to a child they think might make a good student, interact with them directly, ask them questions, and test their talent for airbending. If the child’s abilities and answers are deemed suitable by the teacher, they ask both the child’s guardians and the child themself if they want to learn from the teacher. If both answers were positive, a match is pronounced. A ceremony will be held at the temple later that day, to bless both the teachers and the students.

Gyatso joins the other monks and nuns in observing the children who are playing in the courtyard, letting his eyes wander over the group and trying to make up his mind if there might be a promising candidate among them when a boy spots him and waves to Gyatso. Surprised, Gyatso tentatively waves back.

The little boy gets to his feet and makes his way over the adults. A few raise their eyebrows – this is usually not how the ceremony is to be performed. The teacher is supposed to choose the student! However, the children are very young – while the adults are supposed to follow the protocol, not all the young kids can be expected to be observant of all the rules all the time.

The boy reaches Gyatso and tugs on his sleeve. “Hello! I’m Aang.”

“Hello, young Aang,” Gyatso says with a smile. “My name is Gyatso.”

“Nice to meet you!” Aang says, beaming at Gyatso and bowing, a little clumsily, in the way monks are taught to respectfully greet their Elders. But Aang’s bow is exaggerated and too energetic, he jerkily bows and almost tries to fold his whole upper body forward. It’s too much for his small body, and the young boy almost loses his balance.

Gyatso quickly reaches out to steady the young boy, so he won’t fall over. “Careful, Aang!” he says.

As soon as he’s regained his balance, Aang grins widely. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome. We don’t want you getting hurt before you can meet your new teacher, after all,” Gyatso says, only to notice the other monks are watching him with an amused expression.

A monk from the Northern Air Temple introduced himself as Tsering to Gyatso earlier that day when they’d spoken about their expectations of the ceremony. Gyatso had confessed his very real expectation of leaving this ceremony without a disciple, like so many other ceremonies before. Presently, Tsering is giving Gyatso a knowing smirk. “I suppose it’s not strictly following tradition, but this time, I think the student has chosen the teacher.”

Gyatso furrows his brows, but looking at Aang’s open, unguarded expression and wide smile, he realizes he doesn’t feel any of the apprehension and mental resistance within himself that’s made him reject every prospective pupil at the previous ceremonies. This time, it feels remarkably natural to start conversing with Aang, ask him age-appropriate questions, and being delighted with the boy’s answers, showing the promise of a bright and unconventional mind – perfect for a young Airbender.

“What do you say, Aang,” Gyatso says after a few rounds of questioning. “Would you like me to be your teacher?”

After Aang’s enthusiastic “Sure!”, the two of them go to the Temple Elders to receive a blessing.

“Gyatso, did you think this through?” they ask. “We’re only asking to make sure you want to take Aang as your pupil – the other monks are still in the early questioning stages.”

Gyatso looks down at the young boy he’s leading by the hand, who’s observing his surroundings with a happy smile on his lips and natural curiosity in his wide gray eyes. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he says.

After so many fruitless efforts at finding a new pupil, Aang has entered his life quite unexpectedly, but Gyatso already knows that he and the boy will become great friends.

When it comes to departing from the Eastern Air Temple, Aang is, quite understandably, a bit sad at the prospect of having to say goodbye to his playmates. However, he cheers up once he meets Gyatso’s bison Dawa. As Dawa is getting on in years – just like Gyatso himself – he informs Aang that they will have to go camping for one night, since Dawa can’t make the entire trip back to the Southern Air Temple in a single day.

“As we get older, our abilities change,” Gyatso says. “We’re no longer as strong and energetic as we once were, but hopefully, by then we have learned to make up for that with wisdom and life experience,” he adds, tapping his forehead and smiling at his young disciple.

Aang nods, biting his bottom lip, before reaching out to pet Dawa’s forehead. “Hello, Dawa,” he says. “Nice to meet you.”

The bison lets out a content rumble and seems to enjoy the boy’s presence. That’s a good sign – Gyatso trusts Dawa’s instincts at all times. She’s his oldest friend and he’s spent most of his life at her side. Dawa had been there when Gyatso was a young monk, the bison just as much of an energetic, out-of-bounds youngster as Gyatso had been and they’d enjoyed racing through the mountains surrounding the Temple with him – Gyatso on his glider, Dawa hot on his heels. Later on, they included friends in their games, most notably Gyatso and Roku racing against each other, while Dawa and Fang were facing off against each other.

But those days were long gone… Gyatso hadn’t seen Roku in over a year when he’d received the news that his friend had passed away while unsuccessfully trying to save his home from a volcanic eruption. The Temple Elders had been elated – it meant they could expect the rebirth of the Avatar within the Air Nation, but Gyatso didn’t share their joy. He’d been saddened by the loss of his friend and concerned for the world as a whole. The Fire Nation is expanding under the aggressive leadership of Fire Lord Sozin and the rebirth of the Avatar means the world is subjected to a power vacuum – sixteen years until the reincarnation of the Avatar will be revealed to the world, and at least another decade until they mastered not only all four elements but also achieved the spiritual awareness necessary for being a fully realized Avatar.

And only a fully realized Avatar could hope to put an end to the Fire Nation’s warmongering. Even Roku had failed to restore the necessary balance to the world, and he’d been friends with Fire Lord Sozin in their youth.

It’s Aang’s voice that pulls Gyatso out of his thoughts. “Where _are_ we going to sleep tonight?”

“I’ve been thinking Kyoshi Island would be a good stop,” Gyatso says. “The people there have always been friendly to us Air Nomads.”

“Kyoshi Island!” Aang exclaims. “I love that place!”

“Oh, so you’ve been there before?”

“No! But it sounds like a great place?” Aang replies, seemingly unfazed by the contradiction.

Well, he’s still young, Gyatso thinks. And being an optimist is surely a good thing in a world growing more and more precarious every day. If the Fire Nation continues swallowing up territory, the Western Air Temple as well as Gyatso’s home, the Southern Air Temple, could easily be among the next targets. For now, it seems as though their hunger for expansion is focused on resources, which the Fire Nation plans to extract from their Earth Kingdom colonies. However, “resources” sound like a cheap justification –why diplomacy and peaceful trade relations are not an option for Fire Lord Sozin, Gyatso will never understand – and Gyatso suspects the Air Nomads, a peaceful, spiritual people, might eventually stand in the way of the Fire Nation. Perhaps the Fire Lord will say he needs control of the Air Nomad territories because they’re strategically important – he’ll come up with some bogus reason, Gyatso is sure of it. It won’t be easy for the new Air Nomad Avatar; desperate times such as these require decisive action and probably the use of force, which clashes with the philosophy of the Air Nomads.

Roku had struggled with the responsibility, too, but he’d been an adult and a fully-realized Avatar. Gyatso doesn’t envy the young Air Nomad Avatar with the weight of the world resting on their young shoulders – they probably don’t even know it yet and likely won’t find out until their sixteen. That’s a small mercy, at least. The chance of having a normal, relatively carefree childhood, spent training, studying, and socializing with the other benders at the temple. The reveal that one was the Avatar put a strain on friendships – in fact, Roku had become fast friends with Gyatso precisely because Gyatso hadn’t treated him any differently than he treated any of the other airbenders.

Roku… he’s still missing his friend, even though it’s been years since he died.

Aang notices that Gyatso has gone quiet as soon as they’ve left the Eastern Air Temple. The wrinkles on his face had become deeper, his customary smile has turned into a frown and he’s furrowed his brows. “Are you sad?” Aang asks carefully.

Gyatso blinks. He’s become so used to traveling alone with Dawa, he’d momentarily forgotten that his young disciple is with him. He’s no longer free to give himself over to silent ruminations for hours at a time. From now on, he’ll have to take Aang into account, too. But how shall he explain his thoughts to such a young child?

“I suppose I am a little sad,” he says. “A lot of concerning things are happening in the world. The world is out of balance and the new Avatar, who could restore the balance, has not been found and trained. I fear a lot will change in the world soon, and not a change for the better, but a change for the worse. I’ve let those worries get the better of me for a moment. I’m sorry if I scared you, that was not my intention.”

His young disciple nods, eyes wide, but still uncomprehending at the peril the world is facing. Perhaps that’s for the best – Gyatso will do his best to keep the young Airbender from the worries of the world for as long as he can to let him have a normal childhood. The world will find a way to penetrate the atmosphere at the Southern Air Temple and world politics will interfere soon enough. A carefree childhood is the greatest gift Gyatso can give him.

* * *

The Temple Elders at the Southern Air Temple are pleased when Gyatso returns with a new disciple and give them their blessings – Aang will be instructed by Gyatso in the art of airbending and the philosophy and way of life of the Air Nomads, until the boy has mastered airbending and is deemed old enough to start traveling the world on his own, meeting people from other cultures and forming friendships with people all over the world. “Detachment” doesn’t signify one should forget or even resent one’s roots, it’s meant to broaden a young Airbender’s perspective, so they could understand that every living thing in the world is sacred and the whole world is equally deserving of love and care.

But that’s still quite a while away…

For now, it’s time to begin Aang’s training.

* * *

Aang quickly proves to be a gifted student, easily surpassing all his peers and if he keeps going like that, he’ll be among the youngest airbenders ever to receive their tattoos. Gyatso is quite frankly delighted with his pupil and never doubts his choice… or well, he never doubts Aang’s choice.

The boy has reached the age of six and often surprises Gyatso with how insightful he is, quickly absorbing everything Gyatso teaches him, almost as though he’s heard it all before and frequently displaying astounding insight into his teacher’s character.

* * *

“The other boys told me we have to pass an important exam,” Aang asks Gyatso first thing after breakfast, before their customary morning game of Pai Sho. “The test is today, isn’t it? What’s it going to be?”

Gyatso smiles. “Curious as always, aren’t you? I can only tell you that it’s a very important examination – possibly the most important examination there is – and all young airbenders are tested. The ceremony started at the Northern Air Temple, a month later it was held at the Eastern Air Temple and now it’s going to be held here, at the Southern Air Temple.”

“Did you also have to pass that examination when you were young?”

Gyatso shakes his head. “No, when I was young, those ceremonies weren’t held at the Air Temples.”

Aang frowns. “Why didn’t they…,” he starts, but his face lights up as he triumphantly crows: “They weren’t looking for an Airbender back then, right?”

Gyatso’s smile widens, pleased that his pupil is so quick on the uptake. “No, indeed. At the time, they were looking for a firebender. Well, I guess you could argue that he did eventually become an Airbender, too.”

Aang looks interested, but a conversation like this is still far too serious and boring to hold a six-year-old boy's attention for longer than a few minutes. As he sees Aang’s attention wither away, Gyatso tells him to join the other young monks, waiting to be examined. He watches the youngsters for a few minutes as they're waiting in line, making up more and more outrageous theories about the examination they’re about to undergo.

As he walks away from the queue of young boys, he looks back for a moment, surveying them and asking himself whether any one of them could perhaps be Roku’s reincarnation. Aang catches his teacher’s eye and waves at him.

Gyatso waves back, before continuing to walk away, resolving to meditate to calm his mind.

* * *

Later that day, the Temple Elders are requesting Gyatso’s presence in an impromptu meeting. It’s not the first time this has happened – they liked to saddle him with additional responsibilities, as they had done when he hadn’t been training a pupil; a subtle form of punishment Gyatso always bears with a shrug and a smile. The timing is certainly suspicious, though, and thoughts are running through his mind as he leaves Aang in the company of another monk and his pupil.

“How long is the meeting going to take?” Aang wants to know before Gyatso departs.

“I don’t know, Aang,” he replies. “That depends on what they want to discuss.”

Aang lets out a dramatic, long-suffering sigh.

“Now, don’t be like that,” Gyatso says. “Whatever the Elders want to discuss with me, I’m sure it’s important.”

“Yes, I know,” Aang says, still sounding slightly disappointed, but as Gyatso leaves, he can already hear the boy’s mood beginning to lift as the other pupil offers to play games with him.

When Gyatso joins the Temple Elders, the somber look on their faces practically tips him off. “It’s Aang, isn’t it?” he asks before either of the Elders can even utter a greeting.

Temple Elder Namgyal raised an eyebrow in surprise at Gyatso’s boldness but confirms his suspicions with a small nod. “Yes. The examination left no doubts. Your pupil is the new Avatar.”

The Temple Elders tell him that, from now on, Gyatso needs to bring them regular reports about Aang’s progress and intensify his training, since the Avatar’s skills are a question of utmost importance. Gyatso agrees out of necessity, but he’s already planning on how to make the new, intensified training as age-appropriate and game-based as possible. What had Roku always said to him? What he missed most after being proclaimed the new Avatar were the carefree years of his childhood and adolescence. Gyatso will do his best to honor his friend’s wish in his next life, too.

“Interesting,” Temple Elder Kunsang says towards the end of the meeting. “You were friends with the previous Avatar, and now you’re the new Avatar’s teacher. Funny coincidence, isn’t it?”

Gyatso nods and smiles, but when he thinks back and remembers how Aang had singled him out amongst all the other monks present at the Eastern Air Temple, he realizes it wasn’t a coincidence at all, but rather a deliberate choice, no matter if Aang had known it at the time or not.

Some friendships are so strong, they can even transcend lifetimes.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked the fic, I'd really appreciate it if you left kudos/a comment - that always brings a smile to my face! <3


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